The Calendar Of Cyrafrin
Years Throughout the ages different systems were used to keep track of years. The most popular is the year the first ship set foot on Cyrafrin, it is referred to as SA (since arrival), according to that method the current year is 427, four hundred and twenty seven years since the first ship set foot. Another system, less popular is SD (since death of the first emperor) according to that method the current year is 381 Months There are twelve months in the calendar of the empire of Allehandra, it is the most commonly used calendar and the holidays on it are sanctioned by the empire, other cultures have their own holidays but everyone uses the same months, and days of a week (called tendays). Werrakas The hero Werrakas was the oldest of the children of the Milkmother, he and his seven siblings were sent to the land of Cyrafrin to assist mankind in spreading across the new world. Werrakas was the warrior brother who brought smiles to everyone he met and victory to every battle until he, along with his brothers was slain when the Demon Malizar attacked the city of Brightbeacon. He is depicted wearing a suit of shining silver armor with a gleaming golden longsword called ‘Frostfang’. Friezarath The Politician Friezarath was the second eldest of the children sent by the Milkmother, he assisted the first emperor in all his political missions while talking to foreign politicians, he knew everything there was to know about the people in charge of everything and that gained him a lot of influence and power. He was slain when the Demon Lord Malizar attacked Brightbeacon. He is depicted in long flowing robes of blue; decorating his hair is a wreath of blue roses. Samuakth The third eldest child of the Milkmother, Samuakth was sent to heal. She was well trained in dressing wounds and treating sicknesses, she often traveled with the army to where it was needed so she could assist wounded soldiers. She is depicted in a long flowing white garb with a red headband covering her forehead; she was also killed when Malizar attacked Brightbeacon. Bloomfell The first month of spring is the month where the flowers begin to bloom and the rains begin to fall, hence the name Bloomfell. Huntsbane The last of the rains that come in the early weeks of the month come often and suddenly, making it very hard to track animals, and with this being the beginning of the hunting season it makes it very difficult to hunt and track, hence the Huntsbane. Doriakth The sixth oldest child of the Milkmother, Doriakth is the scholar of the siblings. He collected books and scrolls for the great library in Bloomfell and the vault of secrets in Ikramet. He is often depicted with glasses and a large stack of books along with scrolls and papers and quills. He was also killed when Malizar attacked Brightbeacon. Sunsept Named after the point in the day where the sun is at its apex/peak, it lasts longer in the months of summer Cirque Named after the wife of the first emperor, Cirque (Ser-Qwee) Drauchman The Old Common word for the sea combined with the old word for day Darakth The fifth oldest child of the Milkmother, Darakth was the mind behind such architectural wonders such as the library of Cyrafrin, the castle Beacon in Brightbeacon, the royal court, the royal arena and many other castles and buildings. He is depicted in a leather apron with a hammer and large sheets of paper. He was also killed in the demon attack on Brightbeacon Myxath The sixth oldest child of the Milkmother, Myxath is the maker of many of the most famous weapons and suits of armor. She made many crowns for many kings and crafted swords, axes, arrows and armor for Knights, kings and anyone who had the coin to buy her expertly crafted, extremely expensive weapons. Malizar also killed her in his attack of Brightbeacon Umalxath The youngest child of the Milkmother, he was the master of secrets, not much is known about him but it is know that he survived the attack on Brightbeacon and proceeded to vanish off the face of the earth Days Of The Ten-day Starday The first day of the ten-day is named after the mysterious night sky that lingers above the world and changes every night. It is the beginning of the work week and when most markets are open and operating Quastday The second day of the week is named after the legendary beast hunter Quast who was in charge of the emperors hunting party and died in defending the emperor against a family of bears who attacked his caravan Luneday The third day of the week is named after the twin moons, Drosim and Tragwyn and the elvish word for moon, Lune Galliday The fourth day of the week is named after Ser Gallidan who was the first knight to win the tournament of the golden robes, he single handedly defeated twenty men to win the tile and the admiration of the emperor and became the head of their royal army until he was killed when Malizar attacked Brightbeacon Suraday The fifth day of the ten-day honors the sun, the dwarvish word for sun is Sura hence the name Suraday Elladay Named after the Emperors first and only daughter, Ella. Frynday The seventh day of the week is named after the fish, fry who are abundant in the waters around Brightbeacon. Donday The religious and holy day is named after the traditional robes that are donned for religious ceremony. Ensday The second to last day of the week is named after the end of the work week (ends day). Offday The last day of the week is named because it is an off day, few businesses are open and those that are very sparsely staffed. Moons Of The Year Lunar cycles on earth last 28 days. Cyrafrin has two moons, one is light and named Tragwyn and the other is dark, named Drosim (named after the gods of life and death) so the lunar cycle for each moon is 24 days but with two moons there is one full moon every twelve nights going back and forth with each moon. Cold With this moon comes the height of winter, cold air blows in from the north and the Snow Under the light of this moon the entire land of Cyrafrin is cloaked in a layer of snow, less in hotter places and up to a couple of feet of snow in colder places. Wolf It is advised that you stay Indoors for this night for the great hunt of the wolves takes place, the dire wolves and even werewolves go out and hunt for the night and kill hundreds . Worm Something with this moon causes the worms under the moonlight to grow to huge lengths. Pink The moon turns a light pink, supposed to be good for fertility. Thunder The moon turns a dark blue and storm clouds cover much of the land, causing thunder and lightning and possible flooding. Sturgeon Under this moon the seas are at their lowest tide and fish and other beings of the sea are at their most active, fish and whales grow to double or triple their size it is said, this makes it very profitable and dangerous to fish. Blood The one night of the year where both moons glow a bright red. Foxes Coyotes and foxes prowl under this moon and hunt for smaller animals, they are not usually dangerous but are found in great numbers during this moon making it perfect to hunt them. Hares Rabbits and hares emerge from their burrows to gaze at the sky, under the full moon they become hypnotized and can't look away, it's an odd phenomenon that leaves them vulnerable and some take advantage of this to kidnap or hunt them. Hunters The beginning of the hunting season falls under this moon making it perfect for hunting. White Despite the name the white moon actually turns the moon a bright yellow. Earthen It is said that under this moon the ground itself begins to breathe and comes alive to speak to those who worship it. Geya Under Geyas wrath the moon turns a light green and the animals of the forest act irrationally and oddly becoming very hostile to those who aggravate them. It is once said that if one fells a tree under the moon of Geya she will have her revenge and send her animals after the individual. Bright The moon is just unusual bright during this moon. Green The moon turns dark green and nature magics are amplified during the moon. Dryads The forests grow dark and the spirits of the forest come out of hiding and wreak havoc on settlements. Silver The moon shines bright silver and magical effects last longer and are more powerful. Golden The moon shines a bright golden colour and magical effects last even longer than the silver moon and their effects become even more powerful. Alchemists This moon is the best time for harvesting magical ingredients; some roots and berries are required to be harvested under the light of the alchemists moon in order to have their desired effect. Arcane Rituals that are cast under the full moon become permanent (for example spell circles, teleportation circles and circles of protection). Milk The time for fornication is the best under the milk moon, every man and woman is fertile no matter their age or state and the babies conceived under the light of the moon are said to be lucky and stronger. Nyads During the moon of the Nyads, the seas become extremely dangerous and trade slows to a halt, not even the greatest sailors dare to sail on the moon of the Nyads. Mountains It is lucky/safer to climb mountains during this moon. Black Dark magics are especially potent under the light of the moon. Death Necromancy magic works especially well under the light of the full moon. It is the night where the doors between the worlds of the living and dead are open and spirits can flow freely between them. Winter This is the first moon under the new winter. The Crimson Barons Under the light of the full moon people make sacrifices of blood to the Crimson Baron. Silence No creature, living or dead can produce sound on the night of the full moon. Holy The magic of the gods is especially powerful under the light of the holy moon. Holidays New Years Day The first day of the New Year is celebrated with the cleansing of the body and mind. Participants bathe themselves naked in saltwater, blood, wine, milk, freshwater then holy water, they then get smoked by burning pine branches and covered in lavender oil. They then partake in a ritual where they pain their faces and bodies in a mixture of ash, blood and flower petals and drink a calming tea, blessed by a priest and then enjoy a meal in plain grey garb with their families. Mainly humans celebrate this holiday but almost everyone save the tabaxi partake in this ritual. Midwinter’s Day On the shortest day of the year the borders between the world of men and the world of monsters is at its thinnest, beasts can cross over from their realm into ours, it is unwise to go out during Midwinters Eve for monsters roam the land. The Day Of Wolves A human holiday celebrated throughout Cyrafrin, the day of wolves is a celebration of the hero Ulthric the Strong who as the legend goes saved a village that had burnt down to the ground from a pack of dire wolves who he killed and made into cloaks for him and all the children of the village. To celebrate him, children and fathers wear wolf pelts and tell stories all night long until the children can no longer keep their eyes open. New Harvests Day A grand feast of roast boar and pig with crackling skin celebrates the first day of the harvest and the last of the previous years mead with freshly made bread, harvested from the fields and baked the same day. There are often street fairs with food and activities for all. The Festival Of Wine This is the biggest festival of all filled with entertainment in the form of acrobats, jugglers, circus shows, and parades with food and alcohol, lots of alcohol especially wine and mead. The greatest event of all is the tournament style-drinking contest that draws contestants from all around Cyrafrin to compete for the giant prize pool. Mothers Day Mothers day is a religious holiday named after the Milkmother, who sent her children to Cyrafrin to aid the empire in their efforts to colonize Cyrafrin and make the world a safer place for all to live in. The holiday is celebrated by praying and ceremony and by drinking cows milk mixed with honey, poppy seed and sugar, this milk is called mothers milk and is made specially for this day, there is also often parades and dances held in her honor. The Druids Blood Race Once a year the finest sailors from all around Cyrafrin sail to the island of Dyernya with an entry fee of 50 gold pieces to take place in a week or so long race on the druid’s blood straight to Meradonali, the first ship to reach it earns one hundred thousand gold pieces and everlasting glory. This is not a holiday per-se but it is a very exciting event, thousands of gold pieces are bet on ships every day so the stakes are extremely high. The Day Of Council The kings of the empire all travel to the city of Brightbeacon for their annual council, it is celebrated with wild parties, parades, and lots and lots of security and military power surrounding the castle. After the day (or sometimes even days or weeks) of council a royal ball is thrown in the castle beacon and only the most important and distinguished guests are invited, to receive an invitation is to be recognized as one of the richest, powerful, famous or influential people in all of Cyrafrin. Midsummer’s Eve or the Night Of Mischief On the longest day of the year the supernatural beings of the realms of spirits, monsters and dreams come to life and unleash their mischief across the world, destroying property, tricking people and driving some insane. Its probably just best to stay inside or at least in a safe space curled up with your broadsword and a quiver of arrows. Entire towns have been burnt to the ground and destroyed, some folks even hire guards or private militia and build bunkers so they can wait out the night of mischief as it is so often called. The Tourney Of The Twelve It is on this day when the best fighters, jousters and archers gather in Brightbeacon to compete in the tourney of the twelve, a multi day competition of the greatest combatants in the land with hand to hand fights, longsword and shortsword events, archery competitions, jousting, pit fighting and mêlée events like the 5v5, 10v10, and the 100 man free for all. The winners of these events are always awarded gold and some even earn kinghtship or are granted a spot on the Emperors rainbow guard. There are the fights of course but there is also the accompanying street festival filled with wonders, vendors and more shops and food than you could comprehend. The Day Of Rest The day after the first emperor passed away a day of mourning was issued, today it has morphed into the day of rest, businesses are closed and everyday life stops for a moment, people are given this time to spend with their families and rest. Freezover In and around the province of Ikramet in the north, at the height of the winter season the ocean itself freezes over and makes entry to the island impossible. This is celebrated by leaving offerings to various gods praying that they will keep you safe from the cold this winter and from the threats that come with it, the priest grants prayers of protection and blessings to those who leave sacrifices in order to protect you throughout the upcoming winter. The Night Of Fire When Malizar the demon lord attacked and burnt down the city of Brightbecon he set the city aflame, the fire burnt down almost the entire city and could be seen from leagues away due to the smoke, this holiday is one of remembrance, to mourn the lives lost in the attack and to celebrate how we eventuly killed the demon lord at the cost of so many lives. Last Winters Hunt As winter draws ever nearer crops begin to wither and die and people begin to stockpile food and grain and such for the long winter months were nothing grows or can be hunted because the animals themselves retreat into their home to wait out the winter themselves, last winters hunt is the last day of decent hunting before the winter sets in and food becomes scarce. Me often leave the house with their sons at the crack of dawn and hunt until they have more meat than they can carry back home while the women spend time in the fields picking crops and in town trading for supplies that they may need in the upcoming winter. Drosive Drosive is the day of death, if a loved one of yours has died during the year then they will be publicly cremated with pine logs or sent off on massive ships set aflame, burial is illegal in Cyrafrin but cemeteries instead have statues that are infused with or hold ashes of the dead.